Together We Stand

1: Fillydelphia

Hello! My name is Toril Mintyfeather, I am an orange Pegasus filly with braided brown hair! I've already received my cutie mark, which is a symbol of three crayons.
I live in Fillydelphia with my two friends, Misty Ironhooves and Penny
Roseflank. Misty is a red earth pony filly with dark blue spikey hair, and a blacksmith hammer as a cutie mark. Penny is a purple unicorn filly with black curly hair, and has a pink paw print as a cutie mark.
We all hang out together, but most of the town knows us as the Adventuring Advocates, or Double A.
We ran away from Ponyville after the Timberwolves attacked, 8 years ago, when we were all 7 years old.
While we were at school, they killed our parents, they killed many ponies.
Any surviving mares or stallions had to take custody of us kids. And we were separated from our schoolmates.
I remember Fluffy and Shearinggale. Our friends.

Today was Wednesday, our usual meeting day. We were supposed to meet at Cotton Candy's, a small coffee shop near the town square at 12:00 for lunch. But it was already 10:00 and I just got up.
I rubbed my eyes with my orange hoof, and pushed back my fluorescent bed covers.
The light streaming in from my window blinded me for a second, and I stumbled towards my mirror to get ready for the day.
"Toril? Are you up?" Octavia called up the stairs. She and Vinyl Scratch are basically our new 'parents', because they survived the attack.
"Yes Oct!" I shouted back.
"I have to leave for work now, be sure to stop by when you're out with Penny and Misty! They left this morning, running errands or something. Goodbye!"
"Bye Octavia!" I called to her, and I heard the front door shut and lock.
I glanced at my clock.
10:05
Great. I looked at my reflection for a second.
"What are you lookin at?" I asked and straightened out my unruly brown hair. Setting my comb down on my dresser I braided my mane and tied it up, an did the same with my tail.
"Fabulous." I said and struck a pose, showing off my cutie mark, 3 crayons.
I looked back at my mirror and blinked a couple times, my green eyes sparkling. Then I decided I should probably eat a small breakfast before heading out. After all, I've got 2 hours to kill. Then I have the rest of the day for fooling around with my friends.
I trotted down the sloping steps and ascended into the hallway that divides the kitchen from the living room, and leads towards our colorful front door. I walked over to the multicolor door and peeked out the marbled glass.
Not much to see, just the houses across the way and ponies strolling around, chatting or busily walking by.
I love it here in Fillydelphia, even though its a pretty small district, everyone's so nice.
I walked back toward the kitchen, and looked through the fridge. Do we have any bread?
"There it is!" I exclaimed when I found the bread, hiding behind the milk and honey. I took a few pieces off the loaf and put them on a plate.
I searched the cupboards and found some strawberry jam, much to my delight.
As I spread the jam onto the bread I heard a knock at the door.
Who could it be? With nobody else home except a sleeping Vinyl, I could be in danger.
I ninja-ed my way over to the kitchen window, and peeked out slowly.
It turned out it was only Derpy Hooves, the mailpony. I trotted over and unlatched the door.
"Good morning Derpy!" I said relieved.
"Uh, good morning Toril. I have some m-mail for you!" She pulled out a couple letters from her satchel, fluttering her wings a bit. She too, had run to Fillydelphia after the Timberwolves attacked Ponyville.
I received her letters.
"Thanks Derpy!" I said, stretching my orange wings.
"See you around Toril!" She said, and flew haphazardly away. I closed the door and latched it again, and walked over to the kitchen table, setting down the letters.
"Eh, I'll sort through them later." I mumbled and returned to my bread and jam.
After I finished making it, I sat down at our cozy wooden table and started to eat it.
I looked out the window, there was one tree in the front of the house, that everyone walking by loved to see. It was a cherry blossom tree.
I sighed and finished my bread quickly, sticking my dishes in the sink.
I ran back upstairs to my room, looking for my pastels and drawing paper. I decided I would go by the brook and do a few sketches before lunch.
I found my pastels and drawing pad, and put them into my satchel. My satchel had colorful sequins on it, and it had my cutiemark on it.
I slung it over my back, and trotted downstairs. Vinyl was up.
"Up already? Where are you off to today?" She said, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"Everyone else has already left, and I'm gonna go do some sketches before we meet up for lunch." I said, tightening my satchel strap.
"Ok, tell Penny and Misty I said hello." She said walking over to the kitchen.
"Ok, bye Vinyl!" I said.
"Bye Tori, don't get caught wandering through the hills."
"I won't!"
I walked over to the front door, and opened it, stepping outside into the spring air. Then I closed the door and locked it, putting the key under the doormat.
I trotted down the cobblestone pathways, that wound through the town like veins.
There were lots of tall buildings and apartments, but I knew a secret way to escape, it's also where the Double A tree loft is.
I took a turn down some alleyways, the light from above streaming down on the wooden walls. I took different turns, until I arrived upon a fence. This fence was a tall wall of stone, but too high for anyone to fly over without being seen. I walked along the wall until I found a small opening, the one we use everytime we enter the forest to get to our clubhouse, because the main gate is blocked by Crystal Guards. Our small opening was just big enough for a few fillies to get through, and the sides of it were crumbling stone.
But on the other side of the walls, lies the Cerulean Hills, laying over the acres like a green blanket. There was a river and a grotto with a waterfall, and lots of acres of tall trees and undergrowth. There was a meadow filled with flowers of all kinds.
But after the Timberwolves attacked Ponyville, Princess Celestia ordered there to be walls blocking off the forests. For our safety.
My friends and I are not commonly known for breaking rules, but this was an exception. We can't be cooped up in a town all day, with no trees, except for the town square.
And we need to feel free. So a few weeks after we moved here, we were exploring along the wall, and we found this one crack, and figured something must have crashed into it. So we explored the other side. It was like a whole different realm.
So we found a really big tree in the middle of the woods, there was a brook nearby. In the tree we put some wooden planks, side by side, to make sort of a platform. And we called it tree loft. And it's where we spend most of our time if we're not wandering around the city. But we have to be cautious, in case anyone sees us sneaking off. Luckily the tree loft is deep in the forest, blocked by a bramble bush so it's overlooked by a scanning eye.

Anyway, I climbed through the stone wall and into the forest, were I trotted along an invisible path through the undergrowth, and made it all the way to the brook that leads to the river.
I sat down, nestled on some moss near the bank, where smooth rocks lined the sides of the brook.
As I took out my drawing pad and a pencil, the brook babbled and wound its way through the dense forest.
I smiled and sketched a picture of the water, churning and streaming, flowing, never stopping. That's why you can never step in the same river twice I thought, because the water is always moving, always rushing to be somewhere else.
As I finished my sketch, I checked my sundial watch. It's 11:23. Wow, time flies when you're having fun.
I stood up and stretched my legs, and put my pencil and drawing pad back into my satchel. Then I started back to the town.

A/N
Whew! That was probably the longest chapter I've ever written. Maybe because I love you guys so much! Keep reading!
Ciao for now,
EDS